1. From the Rolling Stones and Bobby Beausoleil to the eerie soundtracks of Kenneth Anger’s films, music is central to Sway. What does music from the 60s signify to you? What does it signify to the novel’s principal characters? Discuss the different implications music has for the Stones, Anger, and Beausoleil.

2. Sway follows three individual stories that eventually converge. Discuss the points of convergence and the events leading up to them. In what ways are the novel’s characters and their experiences in the three separate stories similar? Do you think one storyline is the most representative of the 1960s?

3. How do you define masculinity and femininity? Discuss the manifestations of each in the novel, especially with regard to the Rolling Stones, Bobby Beausoleil, and Kenneth Anger. Discuss the role that gender plays in the characters’ private lives and in their performances.

4. Both the group and the individual figure prominently in Sway, most notably with the Manson family commune and loner Kenneth Anger. Compare the motivations and ideals of each. How does the author use them to critique both individuality and collectivity?

5. Anita Pallenberg can be considered a muse to the Rolling Stones in 1968 and 1969. In Sway, how did her forceful personality both inspire and mature them, despite her romantic inconsistency? How is her character further revealed during her late encounter with Kenneth Anger?

6. The Sephiroth appears at various points in the novel. Discuss its main tenants. Why is it important to the characters and how does it relate to the novel as a whole?

7. In many ways, the Rolling Stones’ vacation in Marrakech is comparable to the extremes of Kenneth Anger’s films. How does this trip alter the lives of the band members, particularly Brian Jones? What role does hallucination play in both their lives and their art?

8. Lucifer is normally thought of as a symbol of evil and darkness. How is he transformed in Sway into a bearer of light? What are some of the many, perhaps conflicting permutations of Lucifer in the novel? Discuss the role Lucifer plays in “Sympathy for the Devil” and An Invocation of My Demon Brother.

9. The 1960s have been mythologized and idealized as stories have been passed from one generation to another. Identify some of these generalizations. Discuss your own preconceptions of the era. How were they reinforced or transformed by Sway?

10. All of the characters in the novel succumb to the sway of someone or something. Why are they swept up? In what ways are they influenced and what are some of the consequences of their actions “under the influence”? Do you think their impressionability is a comment on the decade as a whole?